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Let's talk camera bags/backpacks

rayyan

Well-known member
Too much camera and lens talk.

I have to carry my gear. I have a preponderance of bags. All useless.

My back aches too. Maybe a small backpack.

Nikon Df, 85/1.8, 50/1.8, 24/2.8 D ( yes I bought one )
Or
Fuji XPRO-2, 14/2.8, 35/1.4, 56/1.2
Or
ME ( M8 ), cron 35 asph, cron 75 apo; or cron 28 asph, cron 75 apo.

I won't increase the gear..might reduce it though.

Thanks.

p.s. If I can't manage with one of this kit...shall take up fishing ( deserts have seas! )
 

docmoore

Subscriber and Workshop Member
That is a small kit in whichever form you use it.

I prefer the Lowepro Flipside backpacks ... genius design ... the pack opens
on the side next to your back. So when traveling you can lay the pack down ...
open it and when you put it back on .... the dirty side that was down is not
the side against your body.

Very well padded in a bunch of sizes .... very comfortable to carry.

This one looks best for your kit ...

http://store.lowepro.com/flipside-200

When I carry one camera and one lens I use a Northface Router ....

https://www.rei.com/product/882733/the-north-face-router-travel-daypack

all sorts of gear in it the camera at the bottom .... does not look like
a camera bag ... because it is not but more little partitions and zippered
compartments for any electronic gear, lunch, water, maps etc.

Usually I like to carry stuff in a hip pack ... upper body and arms free ...

Think Tank has a couple that work well ....

https://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/speed-demon-v2

Advantage here is the ability to spin the pack to the front to open while you walk ...
never have to put it down. It also can be a shoulder bag if you need to change things up.

You can have too many bags ... only those you no longer like should be deemed excessive.

Bob
 

rayyan

Well-known member
Hi Bob.

Thanks for the quick and detailed response.
I shall start going through the items.

Stay well.
 

bab

Active member
There are as many bags, cases and backpacks as one can imagine.
Manufactures make items based on
materials
costs
colors
shapes
target audience
best selling camera kits
Tasks or specified uses (street, hiking, water shoots, studio, travel, lightweight carries etc.

I have been all over this topic for the last two years and have found many suitable solutions. I sent drawing to Wotancraft asking if they would make me a custom bag for my Leica M kit after several emails they told me they are trying to accommodate some of my requests in a future product and would keep me informed. NOT! Two years later they and Steve Huff gave an opportunity to provide your requests for a new bag that Wotancraft would produce. So I did and got a nice response once again from Wotancraft but after seeing the bag Wotancraft released it was a huge disappointment. Why because I want a bag that I can work out of. If I just needed a bag to sling on my shoulder and walk around with or to throw in a trunk I could use a Gym bag or a Tactical bag.

Backpacks
After buying five different ones FWIW get the one that's most comfortable on your back then worry about the pockets and inside they all work fine. I ordered a foam insert from a custom internet company tried using it not quite right, foam too thin and the depth of certain cut out are too deep. The company allows you to design your own holes but not the depth...now have Kasien foam on order and I'm going to make my own layout. The backpack is great for walking/ hiking to a spot with your gear, but presents some difficulties or awkwardness when you need to set it down and your on a mountain slope or at the beach near the water. I like working out of the backpack because its easy to carry and it also holds not only all my gear but a tripod, water, small portable chair, lightstand and umbrella so my hands are free. I have one for my Fuji system and one for my Hasselblad system. Also for just carrying a 15" macbook pro and intuos tablet with four hard drives and a camera with one or two lenses I use my Booq Graphite probably one of the best quality backpacks you'll ever buy. The bottom zippered compartment stores most DSLR's with a lens attached.

Bags
I have many and have seen some I'd love to try out. Not a fan of heavy bags if I was I'd buy the Holdfast Roamographer one small and one large bag. "Hands down the best looking camera bag." Also don't love stiff bags that take a year to break-in. A great bag needs to have side pockets that can hold somethings that are inside the bag that you pull out when your working. That to me would be lightmeter, filters, flash, spare battery (or dead ones), lens hood, lens or anything that you use temporarily or switch out...not sure why many bags manufactures don't grasp this concept.

I have always found that once I remove my camera and a lens from any bag the bag has plenty of ROOM but when fully packed its a usually tight fit.

The best solution I have come to is everything packs away in a backpack depending on the day and the shooting location. I either take the complete backpack or put what I want in a bag and leave the backpack in the trunk. This way I can lighten the load. I also want a bag the fits the camera body with a lens attached in such a way that I can grab the dang thing with one hand pull it out and use it without having to put the camera bag down to pull out the camera.

OH YA! I don't need to carry around a laptop all the time but one should have the option to fit one in the bag, why don't they make a bag that has a removable pouch for a laptop?

A great bag for the Hassey that I wanted to buy and in fact contacted ONA to see if they would make it in a different color for me but got a negative response: "ONA! We don't currently have any plans to produce the Astoria in another color, but I have put forward your idea to our design team for them to take on board for any future bags we produce. We typically announce new bags on Facebook"

The current Astoria if made in Black or a different two-tone color combination that didn't scream CAMERA BAG could work out nicely. Maybe Ill get over the FUGLY color scheme and buy one it wouldn't be the first time I bought a bag only to put it in a closet!!!
 
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Cindy Flood

Super Moderator
I have more than 15 bags and backpacks of different sizes and shapes. I finally found one that I really love. It works for a body/lens and 2 or 3 extra lenses or two bodies and an extra lens or two. There is room for some batteries, filters, etc. My tripod or monopod rides strapped onto the bottom. It is the Peak Design Sling. You can swing it around and change lenses or bodies without putting it down.When you open it to do so, there is no feeling that things will spill out.
 

DougDolde

Well-known member
Love the Gura Gear Bataflae. I have the 26L and my whole XF/IQ180 kit with 28mm. 40-80mm. 110mm and 150mm lenses fit very well. It has nice fat handles on the top and side for carrying if you aren't using it as a backpack
 

Shashin

Well-known member
I have given up on camera bags and stick to climbing gear manufacturers. Basically I use a modular system of inserts and smaller bags that can be worn outside when working. Then you always end up carry a little more than your gear--coats, lunch, etc. This is what I do for my Pentax 645D, which is bigger and heavier than your stuff. Basically it is an Osprey Farpoint 40 with a padded insert for the camera and the lenses are in Think Tank pouches on a belt. When working, the belt goes on and the camera is around my neck: I just carry the empty bag. When done, everything goes in the pack which is really easy on the back. The Farpoint can also hide the straps when traveling by air.



And this it the lens pouch system:



For something smaller, I use a Mountainsmith Day lumber pack with insert. Mountainsmith.com - Day Lumbar Pack That is what I have my X Pro2 in with two other lenses and an RX1. I did change the shoulder strap on my pack because the one that comes with the bag is too thin (my model is from the 1990s and has a very thin waist band). The nice thing is I can wear it like a shoulder bag or swing it behind me and carry it with the waist band.

But ultimately, I have found that find the perfect bag is really personal. But looking beyond photography specific bags is where I have found the best designs. And some of the benefits are not obvious: since the Mountainsmith uses an insert, all I need to do to waterproof the contents is put a plastic bag around the insert.
 
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